How Does Shakespeare Present Henry's Speech In Act 3 Scene 1

Henry V was written at a time of great political upheaval. Mary I, the bloody queen, had recently died, and Queen Elizabeth I had ascended to the throne. After years of toing and froing between Protestant and Catholic Christianity, Elizabeth finally settled what her siblings could not. Shakespeare, as a respected playwright, had a duty to affirm both protestant and catholic belief in the present monarch to prevent a civil war (which unfortunately broke out just 40 years later). In this essay I will analyse three speeches from the play and deduce how they present Henry V as a bold and noble gentleman, worthy of ruling England.
Siege of Harfleur Act 3 Scene 1
The first speech I am going to analyse, takes place half-way through the Siege of Harfleur. Henry’s forces have just breached the wall of the town, and now Henry must rally his comrades to finish the job. It is a very
On the first line, Henry gets the attention of the soldiers by saying “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;” The repetition of ‘once more’ makes this imperative stand out and would be perfect for gaining the eyes and ears of Henry’s followers. Notice there is no verb in the imperative, instead ‘once more’ takes the place of a verb. Henry also uses antithesis towards the beginning of the speech comparing a man in peacetime to wartime: “In peace … but when the blast of war …” This brings out the stark contrast between a mild-mannered peasant, and a war-crazy elite soldier. Henry makes the sound of war a ‘blast’, which is semi-onomatopoeic, to instil in his men the noise of battle. He is using the adrenaline